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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stock — shares
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lean — thin
  10. pop — to visit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pop — music
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pop — soda
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bore — to tire
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com